To an average listener, Wizkid and Starboy may be the same person and artiste, but there’s some difference in the music released. In this article, we break down the difference.

Since signing his mega-deal with Sony, Wizkid has been cautious with the songs released under the “Wizkid” moniker as a lot of his releases have been geared towards cracking the American market. Before Smile featuring H.E.R. was released, Wizkid’s last release as Wizkid was Joro. Now, the difference between Wizkid and Starboy is that each persona caters to two entirely different audiences, as evident in his new release Smile.

Wizkid caters to the international audience who are not as accepting and patient as his Nigerian fan-base, hence the need for caution and careful selection. Smile, which has a reggae feel was released mainly for his foreign fan-base, and with Made in Lagos on the way, he has to keep them satisfied.

Listen to Smile here:

Smile (feat. H.E.R.) – Single by WizkidAlbum · 2020 · 1 Song. Available with an Apple Music subscription. Try it free.music.apple.com

Soon after Wizkid dropped Smile, Twitter NG was abuzz with reviews of the track and the consensus seems to be that not too many Nigerians really liked Smile. As has been commonplace since the one Wizkid we knew became two people — Wizkid and Starboy, many fans came out to say they really did not like this sound and that they preferred the old Wiz. This is where Starboy comes in. Starboy caters to Wizkid’s Nigerian fan-base who love his afrobeat vibe. Soundman EP was released last year to cater fully to his home fan-base.

“Starboy caters to Wizkid’s Nigerian fan-base who loves his afrobeat vibe.”

Sometimes however, Wizkid and Starboy intersect again. In the early hours of this morning, Cool Me Down was released. It featured his frequent collaborator and personal DJ, DJ Tunez, and what we get here is OG Wizkid vibes. This may be in an effort to satisfy his local fanbase in Nigeria and Africa.

Listen to cool me down here:

Cool Me Down (feat. Wizkid) – Single by DJ TunezAlbum · 2020 · 1 Song. Available with an Apple Music subscription. Try it free.music.apple.com

In conclusion, Wizkid and Starboy are both the same and, at the same time, entirely different — it’s the same man releasing the music but with different markets and end-results in mind.

When next you hear a Wizkid or Starboy release, you should know the reason behind the release and the audience they cater to.